Political irrationality is ubiquitous. Most people irrationally cling to their political views; most of the rest irrationally revise their political views. This includes, of course, my fellow libertarians. I know plenty of unreasonable libertarians, but I also know plenty of “post-libertarians” who changed their minds for reasons no reasonable libertarian would accept.
Tag: immigration
A Conversation Between Voluntaryists: Responsible Voting?
One of the best things about voluntaryism is you never know who is a voluntaryist. Kentucky is a big-government, culturally-conservative state, where I was born and raised in. Then I found out I have a like-minded neighbor. Among the radical libertarians who have made the Bluegrass state their home is Kilgore Forelle. Over breakfast we came up with a voluntaryist thesis which we turned into this dialogue here on EVC.
Cognitive Bias #2 — Bandwagon Effect
Just this past Friday, we went to war with heavy reliance on the fact that we are susceptible to the bandwagon effect. We might also refer to this as “monkey see, monkey do” (while adding the cautionary “monkey get in trouble, too.”) We humans can’t seem to resist the spin and flash of a circus bandwagon.
Scared or Tricked into Cheering for Evil
One nice thing about people having actual principles is that fear-mongering, propaganda, false flag stunts, and other manipulative bullshit, doesn’t work on them.
Words Poorly Used #82 — Process
Process overwhelms purpose. We wanted to live in a world free of crime, so we asked the state to make that guarantee, now we are guaranteed the abuses of crime and the abuses of the state. Substitute any antonym for a “public good” for which we have whored ourselves, and the statement holds.
The Tangled Web of Anti-immigration Argumentation
So, which is it, anti-immigrationist: is the government too incompetent to exclude ineligible recipients from getting benefits, or is it too incompetent to keep illegal immigrants out the the country—or is it both?
Why Free Immigration Is the Moderate, Common-Sense Position
Far from being utopian, saying “Immigration is a human right” is just the moderate, common-sense position that when natives and foreigners voluntarily interact, strangers are morally obliged to leave them alone unless the overall consequences are clearly awful. Even if the stranger happens to be the government – and the government happens to be popular.
Government “Solutions” Aren’t Based on Principle
There are no “government” solutions that are based on principles. Ever. Whether it’s about drugs, or crime, or education, or immigration, or disease, or poverty, or anything else, authoritarian solutions always come from fear-based, unprincipled, arbitrary emotional reactionary crap.
In Praise of Immigrants
Three new technologies of the last 20 years made America’s economy great again: the iPhone, Google search, and horizontal drilling and fracturing. All came from first-generation immigrants.
Creating Millions of Victims Annually
The greatest danger that you face as an American is not terrorism or violent crime or immigration or North Korea or Iran or climate change or loss of medical insurance or any of the other things the media and politicians tell you to fear—it’s your own government and the maliciously evil criminal prosecution system it has created to destroy you.